Monday, June 2, 2014

Cats in Art: Paris Through the Window (Chagall, 1928)

[Sorry this is a day late...hosting a day-long graduation party yesterday for a loved one]From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art. I'm using some ideas from the coffee table book, The Cat in Art, by Stefano Zuffi.Last week's post was titled identically....but was a much larger image created in 1913 vice this one from 1928. The 1913 version is the "famous one" that you find in art history books and on the Internet, but the 1928 version is what Zuffi put in his book.

For purpose of comparison, here again is the 1913 version from last week (image credit here):

Differences I noted, other than content:

1913 oil on canvas; 1928 watercolor on paper

1913 held by Guggenheim Museum, New York; 1928 held by National Museum, Prague

1913 size 52" x 55"; 1928 size 15" x 22"

The images are quite similar but some differences are obvious. First of, the later version just seems brighter and happier--the Eiffel Tower is a cheery yellow, the kitty seems not so woeful. Even the two-faced men seem a tad less gloomy.

The later version has Paris depicted in a more muted fashion, less harsh, less stark. Plus I like the curtains, rather than the panels of light Chagall used in 1913.

All in all, the 1928 version is more pleasing to my eye...yet its fame is less. Probably because the 1913 is in the Guggenheim while the 1928 is in Prague.